Kabbalah Library

54) “And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Zipporah, and her two sons.” Were her sons not the sons of Moses? Because Zipporah labored with them without her husband, the Torah calls them, “her sons,” and not “his sons.” Even though they were Moses’ sons, it speaks the truth, for they were certainly her sons, since Moses connected in another place, high and holy, and it was not respectful toward him to call them “his sons.”

Although they were his sons, due to the honor of that place to which he connected, which is the Shechina, it writes here “her sons.” Afterwards, it is written, “his sons” because at the time when they reached Moses, Moses was conversing with the Shechina. After he parted from the Shechina and went out toward his father-in-law, it is written, “Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons,” and Moses’ wife.

55) Certainly, because of the honor of the Shechina, which is the bonding of the upper one to which Moses bonded, it is written, “her sons.” But why does it write “his sons” in the verse, “Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses”? It is because it is all one inclusion. When it writes “his sons,” it means Jethro’s sons, since after Moses came to him he had sons.

56) And so it was with Jacob. When he came to Laban and lived with him, he had sons. Here, too, when Moses lived with Jethro, he had sons, and he brought his entire household with him to put them under the wings of the Shechina. Jethro said to Moses, “I, your father-in-law, am coming to you, as well as your wife, and her two sons with her. It does not say, “And your two sons.” How do we know that Jethro had sons? It is written, “The sons of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the city of palms,” and he left his sons with Moses.